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Daily Record
18 minutes ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
SFA's amateur system risks another season of chaos for youth football
When the Scottish FA's Comet system crashed last year, you'd have thought it would have acted as ample warning against a repeat. Hundreds of matches were called off and a generation of volunteers were left in a state of frustration over their dealings with the SFA's complex computer registrations system. Several sources last year spelled out that Comet was overly complicated for the grassroots game. And too many people were stuck for too long in a 'computer says no' death loop. But roll on 12 months and with the new season six weeks away the computer pile-up is happening again with Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks. We can't overstate the importance of keeping kids safe but after last year's issues, there can be no excuse for another round of infuriating delays, exacerbated by the lack of any human helpline to streamline the process. Football is a moneymaker at the higher levels. And the SFA, which governs our national game, is not short of a few bob, with millions coming in via grant funding before any other revenue is even added up. That's why there is no excuse for failing to see this coming. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The SYFA needs a team of professional administrators that can master any system or database required to run the game. Professionals must be available at the end of a phone to educate the officials of clubs who give up their own free time to bring youngsters into the game. And the SFA needs to sort this out well before next summer – or they will score a hat-trick of own goals that no one wants to see. Welcome back, Lewis Capaldi Lewis Capaldi's return to music with an unannounced performance at Glastonbury showed just how much he has been missed. The singer had been on an extended break from music since 2023 due to his mental health struggles. The break had followed a concert on the same Pyramid Stage two years ago, when his voice 'packed in' and fans had to help him finish his biggest hit, Someone You Loved. Everyone understood Lewis, who suffers from anxiety and Tourette's, needed to put his health first. It was wonderful to see him once more engaging with his fans in his modest way, despite his incredible talent. He's also back with a new single that deals head on with his troubles and highlights once again what a special talent he is.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Cold' four final words before pilot flew plane into mountain killing all
A heart-rending documentary on the catastrophe of Germanwings Flight 9525 was released on Sky last month. The passenger aircraft met with disaster over the French Alps on March 24, 2015, soon after setting off from Barcelona, Spain, en route to Dusseldorf in Germany, resulting in the loss of all 150 people aboard. What was meant to be a regular trip for those on board turned tragic an hour into the flight when it crashed in the French Alps at 430mph. An immediate investigation, which included extracting data from the black box, disclosed that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally caused the crash. The harrowing event prompted major changes to regulations concerning pilots being alone in the cockpit to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring. Flight 9525 had a scheduled departure time of 10 am local time, with its final correspondence with air traffic control occurring 30 minutes later. A critical moment took place when Captain Patrick Sondenheimer left the cockpit for the toilet, when Lubitz seized the opportunity to lock him out. The chilling final words captured by the cockpit voice recorder were Lubitz's to his captain: "You can go now." Before leaving Lubitz in charge, Sondenheimer informed him he would handle the radio communications. Approximately 28 minutes into their journey, the sound of the cockpit door closing is audible, reports the Daily Record. At this juncture, Lubitz altered Flight 9525's altitude from 38,000 feet to a mere 100 feet, initiating a descent into the mountains and disregarding communication attempts from air traffic control as the plane plummeted towards the ground. The co-pilot maintained his silence for the remainder of the flight, while Sondenheimer can be heard pounding on the cockpit door in a desperate attempt to regain entry. However, the captain's efforts proved futile as Lubitz had also bypassed the emergency access codes that would have allowed the flight crew to enter the cockpit. This left him alone at the helm, with complete control over the aircraft. As Sondenheimer's desperation escalated, he can be heard shouting, 'open the damn door' whilst continuing his attempts to break down the door. In the final moments captured on the recording, passengers' screams can be heard just before Flight 9525 crashes into the mountainside. This chilling sound suggests that many were oblivious to the impending disaster until the very last moment. In the wake of the crash, it emerged that Lubitz had been battling severe depression and had shown signs of suicidal tendencies. He had been deemed unfit to fly by his doctor, but this crucial information had been concealed from his employer. Following the incident, there was increased discussion around medical confidentiality, leading to the implementation of new policies within the aviation industry to address pilot mental health. A former girlfriend of Lubitz provided a haunting perspective on the pilot, recounting to a German paper his ominous words: "One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it. I never knew what he meant, but now it makes sense." The family of Lubitz firmly dismissed the conclusive investigation regarding the crash's cause, contesting that it wasn't suicide. They suggested that instead of taking his own life, he had lost consciousness before Flight 9525 met its tragic end.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
SFA's amatuer system risks another season of chaos for youth football
When the Scottish FA's Comet system crashed last year, you'd have thought it would have acted as ample warning against a repeat. Hundreds of matches were called off and a generation of volunteers were left in a state of frustration over their dealings with the SFA's complex computer registrations system. Several sources last year spelled out that Comet was overly complicated for the grassroots game. And too many people were stuck for too long in a 'computer says no' death loop. But roll on 12 months and with the new season six weeks away the computer pile-up is happening again with Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks. We can't overstate the importance of keeping kids safe but after last year's issues, there can be no excuse for another round of infuriating delays, exacerbated by the lack of any human helpline to streamline the process. Football is a moneymaker at the higher levels. And the SFA, which governs our national game, is not short of a few bob, with millions coming in via grant funding before any other revenue is even added up. That's why there is no excuse for failing to see this coming. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The SYFA needs a team of professional administrators that can master any system or database required to run the game. Professionals must be available at the end of a phone to educate the officials of clubs who give up their own free time to bring youngsters into the game. And the SFA needs to sort this out well before next summer – or they will score a hat-trick of own goals that no one wants to see. Welcome back, Lewis Capaldi Lewis Capaldi's return to music with an unannounced performance at Glastonbury showed just how much he has been missed. The singer had been on an extended break from music since 2023 due to his mental health struggles. The break had followed a concert on the same Pyramid Stage two years ago, when his voice 'packed in' and fans had to help him finish his biggest hit, Someone You Loved. Everyone understood Lewis, who suffers from anxiety and Tourette's, needed to put his health first. It was wonderful to see him once more engaging with his fans in his modest way, despite his incredible talent. He's also back with a new single that deals head on with his troubles and highlights once again what a special talent he is.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Army Captain rapist has "unduly lenient" prison term increased by two years
An Army captain who raped a woman he met through a dating app has had an extra two years added on to his sentence. An army officer who raped a woman he met on a popular dating app has had an extra two years added on to his prison sentence. Scotland's most senior prosecutor Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC had appealed the the four and-a-half years given to Calum MacGregor, 30, for attacking a woman in her own home claiming that the original sentence was too lenient. Now three court appeal judges Lord Beckett, Lord Doherty and Lord Armstrong increased the prison term to six years and six months. MacGregor, a member of the Royal Engineers, pounced on his 28 year old victim in December 2021 after meeting her on a dating app. He was convicted in January this year following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh and sentenced the following month. The army officer claimed during his three day trial that any sexual contact had been consensual. An impact statement provided by the victim said she continues to suffer flashbacks and to see a psychologist following the rape on December 14, 2021. She has also been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, become afraid of the dark, and was unable to work for six months. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. Laura Buchan, Deputy Crown Agent, said yesterday: 'Prosecutors have a responsibility to consider appeals based upon undue leniency in sentencing. Such appeals are rare. 'Today's decision to increase Calum MacGregor's sentence for rape provides public reassurance that the impact of sexual offences on victims will be acknowledged by those in the criminal justice system." MacGregor had contacted his victim on Hinge before meeting her in Edinburgh for dinner and then going to her address for a soft drink before the attack took place. He was found guilty of pushing the woman on to a bed, kissing her body, seizing her wrists, restraining her, repeatedly grabbing her breasts, removing her clothing and underwear, carrying out sex acts on her and raping her. The court heard that Calum McGregor was a first offender and had studied philosophy at St Andrews University where he was in the Officer Training Corps before joining the Army. He has served his country at home and abroad and had an exemplary record but would be thrown out as a result of his conviction. Before sentencing the trial judge Alison Stirling was provided with supporting references including one from a superior officer. His name was also been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely. The appeal against MacGregor's sentence was heard in Edinburgh earlier this month. The Lord Advocate then claimed that the trial judge had failed to recognise the true gravity of the offence and given undue weight to personal mitigation given on MacGregor's behalf. Yesterday in a written judgement Lord Beckett said:"In all the circumstances a sentence of imprisonment for four years and six months was unduly lenient. We impose a sentence of imprisonment for six years and six months."
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Scotland's Botox Bandits facing ban over country's "wild west" treatments
New legislation will introduce regulatory framework and quack operators from dangerous procedures Medics have welcomed moves by the Scottish Government to kill off our nation's 'wild west' reputation for unregulated cosmetic surgery. Law changes announced this week will ban many specified treatments from being carried out by 'Botox bandits' and ensure doctors supervise other less invasive procedures. A regulatory framework will be administered by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, aimed at ensuring backstreet surgeries are shut down, to stop the botched procedures that have been life changing for many people who have opted for cut-price services. Dr Ben Taylor-Davies, who runs the Stockbridge Clinic in Edinburgh and also works as an A&E doctor, welcomed the move. But he warned the new legislation may still be too slack, in allowing unqualified people to carry out the less dangerous procedures. He said: 'Whilst I firmly believe injectable treatments such as Botox and dermal fillers should only ever be carried out by a registered medical professional, the Scottish Government's proposals are a big step in the right direction for patient safety in Scotland. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 'These proposals highlight they're taking the safety of patients and the Scottish public seriously – this should always be the most important thing. 'For too long the public has been at unacceptable levels of risk. People have come to significant harm due to the lack of regulation.' He added: 'Now we need to make sure this is implemented across Scotland and that the necessary legal powers exist to protect the public from unnecessary harm. 'Hopefully this is just the start of a wider theme of tighter regulation that will ultimately protect public safety.' The SNP government's belated crackdown comes after Scotland was branded the 'worst country in Europe' for dangerous, unregulated Botox ops. Ministers said aesthetic procedures will be regulated according to risk. The most invasive and dangerous, including breast and buttock augmentation, will have to be performed by a qualified healthcare professional in a setting regulated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Less invasive injectable material – like Botox and other dermal fillers – will be supervised by a qualified healthcare professional in a regulated setting. The least invasive, such as c osmetic laser treatment, will require both a premises licence and an individual practitioner licence issued by the local council. Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: 'These proposals reflect our determination to protect the public and ensure high standards across this growing industry.' The changes bring Scotland into line with protections already in place in England. The UK Government made it an offence for an unregulated person to administer Botox and cosmetic fillers to under-18s in England in 2021. The 'back-street Botox' boom has already been blamed for putting pressure on A&E departments at Scottish hospitals.
